I spent twenty minutes after I finished it killing as many animals as possible to obtain salvage to finish upgrading my guns. Those deers carry round fuck loads, so killing them for rewards enhanced the satisfaction I got already from killing the helpless cunts.

Why do you have an issue killing animals in games but not shooting people in the face?

I extend the same courtesy to humans, though very few games let me get by without a fight, that's why I always loved the Metal Gear Solid games, there were other options besides shooting somebody in the face. The distinction is that it's defence.

A game like Uncharted doesn't make it easy but I even explored the limits of how far you can get without killing there also.

Completed this last night. Good game, loved the beginning and wish she'd stayed 'green' for a bit longer as the cathasis as she lays waste to her oppressors would be all the greater. Definitely too much combat, and combat that didn't feel particularly tactile. My favourite parts were stealthy bow takedowns, but in the full blown action moments, there was little strategy. Mostly clamber clamber clamber swipe with axe swipe with axe finish with axe clamber clamber clamber behind cover shoot man in head get shot to b&w buggery let go of left trigger heal shoot man in head get shot to b&w buggery, etc. I was playing on hard, but don't see how easier enemies would improve it.

Also, law of diminishing returns, every time she falls over, I care a little less.

My favourite moment, one of the few grand moments that doesn't have things exploding or take place in a cutscene, is seeing row upon row of Stormguard guardians as you climb above their heads. I thought that was brilliant. Then I recalled sadly that I got that feeling exploring in Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld all the time.

I sound overally critical, I've never played Uncharted, and I love the new Lara and I loved exploring. I also take no exception whatsoever to the crew, they're fine. The story is perfectly serviceable. It's the darn combat that let's it down, really.

I'm at about the 70% mark, the similarities to Uncharted are getting pretty galling now. Even the timing of thesupernatural monster enemy type revealis near identical. Far too much shooting, far too linear. Getting bored now, after such a promising start.

God, this game is infuriating! She seems to forget about the storms when telling people to 'get to the chopper!' and then she suddenly remembers at the dramatically correct moment. She spends bloody ages listening to the bad guy ramble on when she could have shot him in the head about five times from cover and then when she gets rushed by his goons she suddenly forgets she's carrying a fucking shotgun!

Finished this yesterday. Despite it being so very Uncharted-y, way too violent for its own good and being a bit combat-heavy, it's still a good old good game. That is, it's enjoyable to play and seeing where the story goes.

And yeah, multiple points where she could have just taken the bad guy out with ease. Actually even one point that's not a cutscene where you have a second or two to take a shot at him, but I doubt anything would've happened even if I hadn't missed...

I also wondered at that room full of body parts. It doesn't really play any part in the story, and she doesn't seem to be at all bothered by it before slipping away. It isn't really horrifying, just feels very out of place.

Scimarad wrote:
God, this game is infuriating! She seems to forget about the storms when telling people to 'get to the chopper!' and then she suddenly remembers at the dramatically correct moment. She spends bloody ages listening to the bad guy ramble on when she could have shot him in the head about five times from cover and then when she gets rushed by his goons she suddenly forgets she's carrying a fucking shotgun!

I loved it, yes it copied, yes it had too much combat, qte etc. However for pure entertainment it is my favourite game over the past year after dishonoured and I've played many great games over past year.

I started this at the weekend and it's bloody excellent. The bow is immensely satisfying to use, and thus far I've been able to stealth when I wanted and go in guns-blazing when I've wanted with equal efficacy.

I really wish the slower paced 'survival' opening had lasted longer. The deer hunting bit was reminiscent of the same bit in Assassin's Creed III, and just as much fun. A few more of the smaller areas with more of the naturey bits before it expanded into the larger hubs wouldn't have gone amiss.

I'm even enjoying the collectibles, and I'm glad that each area has its own challenge rather than just rinse and repeat the same ones again and again (not that it makes a difference in real terms, but if _feels_ different).

Having the optional Tombs branching off the hubs is also really really nice. The older TR games were basically just a dozen of such rooms spliced together to form a tomb, and frequently I found them overly long. These have perhaps overcompensated somewhat, but I like the idea. It's a bit like Far Cry 3 vs. Far Cry 2. They made the right calls on what to change, but took it a little too far. But it really does feel like I'm actually exploring a cohesive space for a change - all the globe-trotting of the previous games were to their detriment at times. Build a believable world and drop the game into it, and it feels like they have in this new one.

I've never been too attached to the Tomb Raider franchise. The first one I finished actually was the first Crystal Dynamics one. While I miss much of those previous three CD games, I don't miss their fucking awful combat and really shonky difficulty spikes. And what I don't miss from the originals back in the day is the shitty controls.

The reboot could definitely use much much less of the QTE bollocks though. Too much insta-death for absolutely no reason. I'd rather another cutscene than have to memorise the joystick inputs to avoid skewering Lara's skull on a pole. With so much care and polish lavished elsewhere to make it a contemporary experience, this stands out as an anachronism.

tl;dr: wasn't expecting much, came away delighted. Don't know, or care, if it's a "Tomb Raider" game or experience personally, I'm just happy it's a great game.